virtualization of design and production a thesis - Bilkent University

When we apply the Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality to computerized
product images, we may recognize that what we observe from the screen has
freed itself from the connections of reality turning into a mere simulation. The
primary ground for this is the fact that the product, whether it is on the course of
designing or entirely finished, has never existed before. It is a complete creation
of the designer revealing itself as the one and only. However it is still a sort of
digital data and by the assistance of the advanced renderings techniques of
computer graphic software, it starts to pretend to be real and existent. The scale,
texture, material and lighting that the user applies on them all contribute to the
fake reality that the image represents. To simulate, says Baudrillard, is to feign to
have what one does not have (Baudrillard 3). Therefore, the designer creates a
world through the computer to make a reality that does not exist.
3.3. Focus on Computer Aided Manufacturing
Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) refers to a mode of instruction codes read
by computer numeric control (CNC) machines to generate a desired shape which
is designed by CAD systems. However CAM technology does not only produce
geometrical shapes but also it is capable of controlling, regulating and managing
the production process. This capability obviously stems from their rather rational,
calculated and computerized structure. Fellows classifies the CAM applications
as follows:
• Automatic test and measurement
• Data logging and production level data collection
• Automation and process control
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